1967 Ford Mustang Convertible - Hot Fun In A Drop-Top

Who Cares About Getting Older When You're Having...

Jim Smart

September 1, 2009

Baby Boomers do a lot of stewing about getting older because we weren't going to grow old like our parents. But if you think we're not concerned about advancing age, consider the television commercials about Viagra, pain relievers, muscle relaxers, joint pain medication, hair loss, and irregularity. And what about that graying guy with the bifocals harping about his cholesterol? But who cares? Baby Boomers have been game changers for more than half a century.

Walker and Dianne Everson see these ridiculous commercials and laugh, then surf right off the tube to something a whole lot more fun-their '67 Mustang convertible. For them, the Mustang is a youth elixir. In the '60s, older people bought Mustangs in huge numbers to feel young again. Now Baby Boomers drive classic Mustangs for the same reason-to feel that rush of youthful adrenaline again.

Walker and Dianne remember the original Mustang mania and what it felt like to want one badly. Because Walker restores and sells classic cars in the Phoenix area, he's had the good fortune of being able to buy and drive lots of vintage Mustangs through the years. This one stands out more than most. He was selling a '69 Shelby GT500 at auction when Rod Holland of Mile High Mustang told him about this convertible. Rod bought the car for Walker and Dianne and performed a full-scale rotisserie restoration over a six-month period. When the car was completed in 2004, it was delivered to the Eversons and made its debut at the Copperstate Mustang Club's annual show. It took a First Place trophy its first time out. "After three and a half years restoring our '69 Cobra Jet Mach 1, this was the easy side of restoring a Mustang because the hard part was already done for us," Walker said.

There's a lot to be said for driving a classic Mustang convertible in the Arizona sun. Power comes from Ford's 325-horse 390 High Performance splined into a wide-ratio Top Loader four-speed and 3.25:1 Limited-Slip gears. Yet missing is the GT Equipment Group so common with the optional 390 Hi-Po. On the ground are styled steel wheels wrapped in P215/70R15 Goodyear Eagle GT II radial tires. The paint is PPG urethane in Raven Black.

Although the Everson's convertible is striking, it is not concours ready for the close scrutiny of Mustang Club of America judges. Instead, it is a pleasure cruiser and a weekend fun car employing all those things that make it both reliable and safe. The Eversons haven't concerned themselves with the Mustang's originality, but more with the journey they've had with this car for five years.